Why you Hated School (It’s Not You, It’s Them)
Updated: Nov. 2, 2020
The catchphrase, “ I just wasn’t made for school,” is something we’ve continuously heard, if not said ourselves. I’m here to tell you that this concept is merely incorrect.
Why didn’t you like school?
Many generations find themselves looking back at school memories and merely writing off their loathe of education to simply not be academic students. The way you felt about school was not based on your cognitive dissonance. It’s because our education system failed you, but you hold the most wielding power despite this flawed system. So let’s get into it.
You’re not alone
We all had one teacher that we did not like, thought they were mean, didn't teach well, and were out to get us. One of the most extensive studies to date of student perceptions from grades 6 to 12, conducted by My Voice Aspiration, uncovers that only "48 percent [of students ]felt teachers care about them as individuals and even fewer -- 45 percent -- felt teachers cared if they were absent from school," this quantifies the relationship you may have had throughout your academic career- this shows you're not alone. This leads me to the scientific context behind these feelings; science shows a chemical bond named oxytocin, which can make us feel more trusting towards individuals and decrease our levels of stress, blood pressure, anxiety, and fear. How does this connect to our lives in school? Well, oxytocin can create an environment that enhances social motivation and understanding between people, helping students cognitive learning processes. Contrary, a lack of oxytocin can cause students to feel less connected to others, decrease self positivity, and the brain's area where social memory is stored will produce anxiety and fear.
Well how do we fix this?
While there isn't one specific answer that will help all students stay engaged within their classrooms, one solution has proven to improve the socio-emotional connections in educational spaces: Culturally Responsive Learning. As Geneva Gay (2010) defines "culturally responsive teaching" as "using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them" (31). This entails the expectation of "having high standards for all students; engaging students' cultural knowledges, experiences, practices, and perspectives; bridging gaps between home and school practices; seeking to educate the whole child; identifying and leveraging students' strengths to transform education; and critically questioning normative schooling practices, content, and assessments." This essentially means working in the real-world context to ignite students' inquiry and attention to educational matters that affect their own worlds.
The Science
This connects to the neuropeptide oxytocin we touched on earlier in this segment because it increases oxytocin levels within students taught in a culturally responsive way. A study conducted by Thirty-four teachers from two elementary and two middle schools in a school district in the Midwest details their findings when they integrate culturally responsive expectations into the classroom, specifically for African-American students in mathematics. The findings uncover that when the validation component was introduced, they saw an increase in students' excitement to research statistics from their cultural/racial backgrounds. When the empowering method was introduced, educators saw a rise in the level of risks students were willing to take in the classroom and a new level of confidence when speaking to their class about their findings. And finally, when the comprehensive method was included, educators reported seeing an increase in student engagement and inquiry on the topics, as well as a willingness to help their peers understand a concept. And when speaking about the effects on white students, it leads them to understand more about their own cultures and ethnic background, deconstructing the idea that they're simply white; there's more history to that complex. The integration of this concept provides the space for students and educators to understand diversity in backgrounds and the best methods of learning.
What’s this got to do with me?
You’re pondering the big question, “how does this relate to my experience. Well, for a lot of students, they felt like their math or history classes served them no utilization within the real-world. And we can’t blame students for expressing that school didn’t make an effort to engage them. Math would have been tailored for students in something they’re interested in, like their culture, how to save money, or how they would be doing their taxes. When learning about history, we learn beyond Western settlers but about our cultures that are the fabric of this country. Real-world aid is what students want, and in the long-run will be most helpful in keeping students engaged and holding that information in their brains. Think about what teachers and classrooms could have taught you that would have kept you engaged.
Well, what can I do?
You have a remarkable influence on how this system can change. While it might not benefit you in your educational career anymore, it will help the 50.7 million public school students. You have the agency to ask your school board members, principles, and educators that they integrate culturally responsive standards as part of its core curriculum at all grade levels. You have the influence to tell school members and school administrators that they support their educators in a process that benefits their students. You have the power to speak about your dislike for school because of the meaningless connections that barriered you from learning. You have the power to vote for school board members that listen to you, and the countless other experiences that lacked authenticity in the classroom. You have the ability to make an immeasurable change for those that come after you. So please take it.
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